Method of and apparatus for moving trackworking equipment along the rails of tracks



July 20, 1954 H. H. TALBOYS 2,684,040

A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MOVING TRACKWORKING EQUIPMENT ALONG THE RAILS OF TRACKS Filed Aug 11 1950 N\ w E W UUDDD DUD NNW M Q Patented July 20, 1954 UN lTED" STATE attic PAENT OFICE RAILS OF TRACKS Henry H. Talboys, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to Nordberg Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application August 11, 1950, Serial No. 178,822

9 Claims.

My invention-relates to animprovement in ploying a power plant'mounted'on a moving base to propel the base alongthe track.

Another purpose is to provide a flexible connection between a I forward point on a-track, which connectioncan bereeled in by an engine on a piece of trackworking equipment.

Other purposes will appear from time to time inthe course of the specification'andclaims.

I illustrate the invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure l is a diagrammatic plan view Figure 2 isa side view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a track engaging or tie engaging anchor for a flexible means or chain extending between said anchor and-the equipmenttobe moved Figure 4 is a section on the line 2-4 of Figure 3 Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a View with-an intermediate part broken away and omitted of the endsof a chain length usable with my invention ;and

Figure 7 is a similar 'view of another chain length.

Like parts are indicated' by like symbols throughout the specification anddrawings.

Referring to the drawings, l indicates the ties of a track, and 2 therails of a track. 3 generally indicates a piece of equipment shown as mounted for movement on the rails 22 by flanged wheels l. 5 diagrammatically indicates a motor on the piece of equipment '5, and 6 indicates a reel or drum actuated'by the motor. 5 generally indicatesa length of chain shown as passing around a sheave 8 and as in the course of being wound in onthe drum 6. It will be understood that as the inner end-of the chain 1 is secured in relation to the drum, the reeling in of the chain past the sheave B and above the drum 6 will cause the equipment 3 to move on the'railsof the track toward the left, referring to the position ofthe parts as shown in-Figure's 1 and-2.-It will be understood that anysuitable means, not herein shown, may be used for holding the chain against slippage on the drum'.- The-drunnmay, as it reels in the 2 tensioned portion of the chain, deliver the reeledin portion of the chain into any suitable movable container.

With reference now to Figure 6, I illustrate a' length of chain formed of'a plurality of links 9. At each end or" the chain link is a terminal link Hi, one side of which is broken away, as at I I, to I provide a gap for an opening suiilciently great to" permit the ready insertion therethrough of links generally of the thickness of the links 9. In order to insure that the end links it remain upon the chain length, they may be welded or otherwise secured, as at l2, to the adjacent intermediate links ii.

Figure 7 illustrates a similar chain length, except that the end links lea are closed links similar to or identical with the intermediate links 9. Thus, when two lengths are used, the opposed ends of each length interlock properly,

In order toanchor a length of chain to the rail, I provide an anchor which is shown as including a bottom plate l2, with side walls l3 and a downwardly extending forward flange it, which has i one or more spurs l5 adapted to enter the forward face of a tie I, when the bottom plate It is posi tioned on the top of the tie. As a matter of convenience, the plate l2 and the walls !3 may be made of sufficient length to span two or more tiesafl When the parts are as in the position shown in Figures 3 and 4, an upwardly open channel is provided into which the outer end of a length of chain may easily and quickly be dropped. Intermediate the ends of the anchor, I provide inwardly extending lugs or flanges it separated by a space I? into which one of the links may drop in vertical position. Whenthe chain is droppedinto the receiver or abutment thus formed, the adjacent horizontal link, indicated at X inFig ures 3 and 4, will abut the forward surface of the flanges [6, in response to tension on the length of chain. Thus, as the motor is reeling in the" drum t, the outer end of the chain length is fixe'd and the motor will reel in the chain, and willthus move the member or track equipment 3 to-"' ward the fixed end of the chain.

It will be noted'that the sheave s onthemember is preferably located outside of the rail, so that the chain length lies on the ties or above the ties outside of the rail against the exterior of which the abov'e described anchor element is placed. Chain sections of any suitable length" may be employed, but I prefer to use two lengthsf one with closed terminal links, and the other" with open-sided terminal links.

When the motor has"reeled the machine 3 fairly close to the end of a chain length, the additional chain length may be conveyed forwardly, manually or otherwise, by the use of the car with its flanged wheels 2| riding on the rails 2. It is convenient to deliver the reeled in length of chain directly from the drum into any suitable movable container which, when the length is completely reeled in and delivered by the drum, may be positioned upon the car 20, in readiness to be conveyed to forward position up the track. When the operator has thus conveyed a chain length forwardly, he then hooks the open end link of one chain length into the closed end link of the other. The second chain length is then carried forward and secured to another forward anchor. These anchors are indicated at A and B in Figure 1.

When the forward anchor B has been positioned and the machine has reached the near end of the second chain length ia, the two lengths being coupled together by their end links, the first anchor A may be removed in readiness for being carried still farther along the track ahead of the anchor B, with the first chain length, after it is completely reeled in. This process can be continued indefinitely with the car 20 acting as a convenient conveyor for conveying anchors and chain lengths ahead of the working equipment. It will be understood that as fast as one chain length is completely reeled in, it is separated from the next following chain length and carried forwardly for replacement along the track.

It will be realized that, whereas, I have described and claimed a practical and operative device and method, nevertheless many changes may be made in size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my specific showing herein. It will be understood that although chain of the type in which links lying in planes 90 degrees apart is shown herein, other types of chain may be employed, or other types of fiexible tension members. It will also be understood that the particular anchors herein employed are given as an example, rather than as a limitation, since it is within the spirit and scope of my invention to employ a wide variety of such anchors in connection with a wide variety of different chains or other tension members.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I provide a method and apparatus for propelling vehicles along the rails of a track by employing a motor or engine on the vehicle to reel in on a flexible member or chain secured in relation to the track. This arrangement is advantageous in trackworking equipment which may advantageously be moved at a slow rate of speed along a track while performing an operation to the track or along the right-of-way. For example, my invention may be applied to trackworking equipment which includes means for excavating and cleaning railway ballast. By using two or more flexible chain lengths, I maintain a continuous movement of such trackworking equipment by securing a free chain length to the outer end of a tensioned chain length along which the mechanism is reeling itself in. The outer end of the additional chain length can then be secured to an anchor located far up the track. As soon as the additional length is so 4 secured, the first length can be removed from its anchor with practically no interruption of the movement of the equipment, and the anchor is then used farther up the track.

I find it advantageous to use anchors which are readily applicable to railroad ties. It is in the main advantageous to locate the anchors and the chains outside of the track rails. The reeled in length of chain may be delivered directly to a container, which can then be positioned on the car 20 to be carried up the track for reuse of the chain length.

I claim;

1. As a new article of manufacture, an anchor for tension members employed in the conveyance of wheeled vehicles along a track, said anchor including a bottom member adapted to rest on the upper surface of adjacent ties, a downwardly extending portion adapted to engage a tie face in response to the tension upon a tension member connected to the anchor, and upwardly extending means for securing a tension member in relation to the anchor.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an anchor for tension members employed in the conveyance of Wheeled vehicles along a track, said anchor including a bottom member adapted to rest on the upper surface of adjacent ties, a downwardly extending portion adapted to engage a tie face in response to the tension upon a chain connected to the anchor, and upwardly extending gripping means adapted to hold a chain in rela tion to the anchor.

3. The structure of claim 2, characterized in that the gripping means are constituted by spaced upwardly extending flanges separated by a gap adapted to receive a vertically disposed link in a chain, but insufficient to permit the passage therethrough of a horizontally positioned link in a chain.

4. An equipment propelling assembly for track equipment, which includes a carriage movable along a track, a plurality of anchors formed and adapted to be removably fixed along a track, and a plurality of flexible tension member lengths removably connectable to each other and to the anchors, a reeling assembly for said tension members on said carriage, said carriage including removable containing means positioned and adapted to receive said tension member lengths and anchors for transportation along the track.

5. The structure of claim 4, characterized by and including flexible tension member lengths formed of chain links, one such link having closed terminal links and the other having open-sided terminal links adapted readily to receive said closed terminal links.

6. The structure of claim 4, characterized by and including flexible tension member lengths formed of chain links, the alternate links lying at angles of degrees to each other, the anchors having spaced abutment portions adapted to receive a link but separated by a distance effective to prevent the passage therebetween of the next adjacent link.

7. The method of continuously propelling a vehicle along the rails of a track on a right-ofway, which includes removably positioning an anchor along the right-of-way, removably securing an intermediate portion of a tension member to said anchor, removably securing said tension member to a rotary power member on the vehicle, removably securing a second anchor along the right-of-way forwardly of said first anchor, removably securing an intermediate portion of a second tension member to said second anchor, removabiy securing said second tension member to the end of said first tension member, rotating the rotary power member on said vehicle to thereby reel in the first and second tension members, releasing said first tension member from said second tension member after the joinder of the two tension members passes over the rotary power member, positioning said first tension member farther up the right-of-way from said second tension member, and removably securing said first tension member to said second tension member.

8. An equipment propelling assembly for track vehicles, which includes a vehicle carriage movable along a track, a plurality of anchors formed and adapted to be removably fixed along a track in staggered relation, a plurality of flexible tension members removably secured to each other, said tension members having means for removably securing them to the anchors, a rotary power member on said vehicle, means for sequentially removably securing said tension members to said rotary power member, and means for rotating said rotary power member, whereby one of said tension members may be disconnected from said other tension member after passing over the rotary power member for positioning along the track forwardly of the other tension member.

9. The method defined by claim '7, characterized by and including the step of securing the anchors to the ties of a track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 895,530 Zech Aug. 11, 1908 996,653 Lawson July 4, 1911 1,520,009 Chriswell Dec. 23, 1924 1,624,064 ONeill 1 Apr. 12, 1927 2,542,374 Torrani Feb, 20, 1951 

